Increasing complexity in software applications, such as in graphics processing, has led to an increased demand for processing power. In an effort to meet that demand, processing hardware has correspondingly increased in sophistication. For example, multi-issue processors, which are capable of issuing multiple instructions within a single clock cycle, provide greater processing speed due to their capacity to concurrently process multiple instructions.
Despite such technological advances in processor hardware, there is a continuing need for more powerful hardware in order to accommodate increasingly complex software applications.